A Gwynedd lollipop man is to be equipped with a body camera to help catch careless and dangerous drivers.

There have been reports of drivers ignoring the school crossing at Ysgol y Garnedd, Bangor and in recent months Gwynedd council ’s Road Safety team and North Wales Police officers have been monitoring the situation.

Now officials have decided to issue lolipop man Arwel Owen with a body camera to monitor the situation and refer any evidence of irresponsible driving to the police.

Arwel Owen said: “The majority of people slow down and stop when I step out to the road to help children to cross, but there are a few who think they have a right to ignore and drive on.

“What I’m trying to do is ensure that pupils can cross the road safely, so I hope that this scheme is a way of making sure that every car stops – the important thing is the safety of the children.”

Ysgol y Garnedd headteacher Llion Williams added: “The situation has been a concern for us for some time whilst trying to protect pupils, staff and parents as they cross the road at the beginning and end of the school day.

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“Most motorists respect Mr Owen and very few drivers ignore him and endanger his safety and the safety of the children and parents.

“We welcome the new camera in order to record any instances of drivers ignoring the highway code. We look forward to working with officers from the Police and Gwynedd Council’s Road Safety team to ensure that everyone who crosses the road can do so safely.”

Cllr Dafydd Meurig, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member who leads on transport matters, said: “Our hope is that this pilot scheme - the first of its type in Wales - will raise awareness of the need to respect school crossing patrol staff and the important work they do.

“The hope is the officer won’t need to use the camera, but if motorists drive irresponsibly, it will be possible to use the camera and to send the evidence on to the police to investigate.”

Insp Dave Cust of North Wales Police added: “Any evidence of motoring offences captured on the camera will be submitted to North Wales Police via Operation Snap – a campaign launched last year to highlight dangerous driving. Footage captured on dashcams can be submitted via the website and will be looked at to see if there is enough evidence to prosecute.

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“Those who are prepared to risk their lives and the lives of others are not welcome on our roads. If people know there is a much bigger chance of being prosecuted and risk losing their licence then maybe they’ll think twice about committing these offences.”

There are 20 school crossing patrol staff in Gwynedd. While there is no statutory duty on the Council to provide school crossing patrols, the Council have reviewed the sites outside of schools, with crossing patrols being employed where necessary.